British racists 'disgust' ANCYL

2010-03-03 14:20

Johannesburg - The ANC Youth League was disgusted by the British media's reports on President Jacob Zuma during his official state visit to the country, a spokesperson said.

Floyd Shivambu said the British media seemed to have developed a habit of rubbishing Zuma and constantly portraying him as barbaric and of inferior belonging.

"It is quite apparent that the British media is one that is characterised and defined by the worst form of barbarism, backwardness and racism," said Shivambu.

"These British racists continue to live in a dreamland and sadly believe that Africans are still their colonial subjects, with no values and principles."

'Vile buffoon'

Zuma's recent controversies have followed him to the UK with scene setters on his state visit revisiting his polygamy and his court travails.

The Independent Online in the UK wrote as South Africa's "first openly-polygamous President, Mr Zuma will be received with the usual pomp by the Queen and Prime Minister Gordon Brown during a three-day visit likely to be dominated by interest in his personal life and the continuing crisis in Zimbabwe".

The right-wing Daily Mail went much further and chose to headline their article: "Jacob Zuma is a sex-obsessed bigot with four wives and 35 children. So why is Britain fawning over this vile buffoon?"

Shivambu said the British media believed the only acceptable values and principles in the world were British values of whiteness and subjugation of Africans.

'Racism, barbarism and backwardness'

"The world community should begin to isolate and condemn in the strongest possible terms all vestiges of racism, barbarism and backwardness portrayed by the British media," he said.

"We will never accept notions that undermine and humiliate our president, and call on the British government to condemn such practices."

Shivambu said the British held and controlled strategic sectors of the South African economy, which made them believe they continued to control the country and its value system.

- SAPA